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Pain, passion, performance. Sport unites us across borders, teaches us resilience in the face of challenges and celebrates the power of collective effort. But can sport contribute – and inspire us – to behave more sustainably?
Climate change is in “injury time,” with the warming planet threatening the very nature of how we play. At its most extreme, it threatens to wipe out snow sports entirely. Sport must account for its environmental impact but it can also empower global sustainability through its unifying reach.
Global action and collaboration
With massive social media followers, sports stars are uniquely positioned to provide global leadership and advocate for sustainability. Indeed, the most followed individual on social media is footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, with over 1 billion followers.
Many high-profile athletes are already using their platforms to provide thought leadership. These words are most potent when backed with actions, such as by marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge, who promotes clean air initiatives.
Tennis player Naomi Osaka also raises awareness about sustainable fashion through collaborations with eco-friendly brands; and F1 Driver Lewis Hamilton is actively investing in renewable technologies and carbon offset initiatives.
Perhaps even more exciting is the rise of emerging young professional eco-athletes who advocate for change and environmental stewardship, such as the young Arsenal goalkeeper Alexei Rojas.
Collective effort can be even more effective than individual action. The most successful sports teams aren’t always composed of the most talented individuals – they thrive on collaboration, diversity and communication.
Indeed, the small, subtle nudges by teams, clubs and major events – such as zero-waste goals or carbon-neutral tournaments – can inspire fans toward lasting habits, amplifying their impact far beyond the playing field. This small – sometimes unexpected – action can have a massive effect, engaging fans to make significant, collective differences, raising awareness and turning it into tangible action.
Public-private partnerships can be especially effective in driving many of these sustainability initiatives at large and small scales. Paris 2024 integrated sustainability into its “greenest-ever Games,” working with innovative startups and traditional corporations.
Initiatives included using 100% locally sourced renewable energy and sequestering or avoiding over 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.
The role of data
Data is also the lifeblood of modern sport. Since the ancient Greeks celebrated Olympic victors, sports have been obsessed with characterizing achievement – although back then, the focus was on names, not numbers.
Today, data underpins almost every aspect of athletic performance as sport embraces artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics to quantify performance, physiological responses and environmental factors.
The way that sports embrace data is a model for other industries to follow, showing how evidence-based decision-making can drive efficiency and sustainability.
Data has revolutionized how we approach sport. It has eliminated guesswork, optimized training and refined strategy, pushing athletes to their limits and turning raw talent into measurable outcomes.
For instance, AI-driven analytics at the Paris Games not only optimized energy consumption in their eco-stadiums but also informed dynamic public transport schedules, reducing the event’s carbon footprint while accommodating millions of visitors.
“Success in sport and sustainability requires innovators and innovations, as well as collective action.”
Meanwhile, AI-driven analytics also gave athletes and coaches at the Games insights into performance metrics, helping them fine-tune training programmes and strategies.
Intel’s 3D Athlete Tracking technology was a prime example, which analyzed biomechanical data by monitoring 21 points on an athlete’s body, providing coaches with detailed insights into physical movements.
Overlooking air quality
However, one of the most significant overlaps between sport and sustainability, largely overlooked, is air quality data.
Air pollution is responsible for over 8 million premature deaths annually, yet its impact on athletic performance is often ignored.
Pollution smog results in cancelled sporting events but even exposure to small amounts of poor air quality has immediate and adverse effects on athletes’ health and performance, for individual and team sports.
Athletes training in polluted environments require longer recovery times and suffer from reduced endurance (marathon times drop by 1.4%) and respiratory and cardiovascular issues. As part of an elite athlete panel organized by Air Aware Labs, Paris Olympic and Paralympics medallists shared firsthand accounts of concern and suffering from air pollution whilst training in London.
Several important air quality awareness campaigns in sports include the World Athletics “Running for Clean Air” initiative. In the private sector, outdoor clothing company Patagonia operates its annual Running Up For Clean Air campaign.
These provide personal connections to air quality, encourage responsibility and are a gateway to addressing broader sustainability challenges such as carbon emissions and climate change.
However, the specific threat of invisible air pollution can be missed unless there is data linking your exposure to your sporting activity. Air Aware Labs addresses this issue by linking air quality data directly to athletic metrics, helping athletes understand how their surroundings influence performance and recovery.
For instance, a runner might discover that switching their running or cycling route – or time of their activity – reduces exposure to harmful particles by 50%, improving performance, health and cutting recovery time.
This personalized data immediately benefits elite athletes while also empowering everyday individuals to connect environmental concepts with their own well-being, sparking meaningful behavioural change.
A shared vision
Success in sport and sustainability requires innovators and innovations, as well as collective action from athletes, fans, communities, teams, businesses and governments toward shared goals.
Whether it’s supporting cleaner sporting events, championing data-driven innovations or making everyday sustainable choices, every action counts. Together, we can turn today’s urgency into tomorrow’s legacy, proving that the game isn’t over – it’s time for a global comeback.
Just as athletes push their limits, we must use sport’s global reach to inspire and empower the same level of determination to achieve a healthier, sustainable and victorious planet.
